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Mabfan's Musings

The Blog of Science Fiction Writer Michael A. Burstein

Hey Kids! Comics!

Yesterday I bought actual comic books for Muffin and Squeaker for the first time. (The picture shows Squeaker reading on our front steps.) They've been enjoying lots of picture books, of course, and even early readers about superheroes. But they hadn't started comic books yet. Part of that is because I didn't want to present them with any of my own, and in fact, most of them are probably inappropriate for kids (ironic, isn't it?). But it gnawed on me, as I was buying and reading my own comic books when I was only a little older than they are now.

So I was delighted when Sesame Street #1 appeared at New England Comics﻿ yesterday. I bought two copies with the same cover, one for each girl so there would be no fighting. Indeed, that was a good idea, as when I gave the girls the comics, Muffin immediately tried to claim Squeaker's for herself until I showed her they were identical.

Kudos to the folks who put together the comic, by the way, as the first page has Elmo explaining to readers the iconography of a comic book. For example, he tells them about the word balloons and the narrative captions, and what they mean.

Finally, I will admit that along with each comic book, I provided a plastic bag and board. Because you're never too young to be taught to treat your treasured reading material with care.